Without Family Ties

Joseph West, born in Egypt, arrived in the USA—Los Angeles, to be precise—for a visit when he was just thirteen and determined never to go back. He lived with his sister and her husband as part of a triumvirate of secret-keepers. His sister never talked about her inability to sustain a pregnancy. His brother-in-law hid from his Muslim in-laws the fact that he was secretly Christian. And Joseph (then known as Sam) didn’t dare admit his sexual orientation till he was around twenty years old.
Without Family Ties traces Joseph’s emotional evolution and spiritual awakening through a series of relationships, business endeavors, and personal obstacles.